The invention relates to a shelf service apparatus in the form of a crane for a storage of rod-shaped material that is accommodated in self-supporting pallet boxes onto stacking frames that are arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the storeroom and are in alignment with one another in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom. The frames are provided with pallet box supporting arms that are arranged in adjacent rows one above the other in the manner of shelves and extend in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom and are attached to vertical supports. The crane includes a crane bridge which can be conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom above or below the stacking frames and which extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the storeroom and has load beams which are supported at both ends in such a manner that they can be raised and lowered outside the shelves and on which, transverse to the longitudinal direction of the storeroom, carrying means having their free ends pointing towards the stacking frames can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom. As a result, both sides of each shelf aisle forms the center position which can be brought into engagement with supports projecting at the ends of the pallet boxes that are located at that point such that they support the pallet boxes.
In known devices of this type, the pallet boxes are arranged on both sides of each shelf aisle and accordingly, starting from the centre position formed by the shelf aisle, the carrying means can be displaced either to one side or to the other and can be moved synchronously on the load beam in order to lift the pallet boxes out of the shelf compartments and to convey them horizontally along the shelf aisle from where the pallet boxes can be transported further by vertical movement of the load beam and by movement of the crane bridge. When the pallet boxes are removed from a shelf aisle and taken to a different place, they are transported by a corresponding lifting movement of the load beam to a position with the crane bridge, so that they can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom above or below the shelf structure.
On the other hand, shelf stores are known in which, in the same manner as that described above, loose rod-shapd material lies in the shelf compartments, that is to say no additional pallet boxes or the like are used. This type of storage is used, for example, for automatic rapid access to the material. In this case the shelf service apparatus, which is constructed in the form of a portal crane, has a vertically and horizontally movable crane bridge which extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the storeroom over the entire width of the store and has forked prongs that project to one side in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom for lifting the material. The material can be moved vertically over a shelf aisle as far as the desired shelf compartment and is then moved horizontally by moving the crane until the forked prongs are located under the material to be lifted. After the material has been lifted, it is transported by horizontal movement of the portal crane to the shelf aisle and, after vertical movement, is transported further optionally overhead or underneath the storage frame.
In the two afore-mentioned cases, the movements of the crane, the crane bridge and the load cross-piece, the load beam and the carrying means are numerically controlled and take place automatically taking into account the structure of the store, the positioning and type of the material, etc. These known features are not explained again in detail, but are of course, intended also to apply to the invention described hereinbelow; in the description of the invention, however, the fact that the individual movement sequences take place under automatic control will not be discussed in further detail, but this should be assumed.
Furthermore, in the two afore-mentioned cases, the transport of material from a store compartment generally serves to supply a machine that processes the material further, especially a cold saw, for which purpose the material is taken to a so-called removal compartment from which the cold saw is supplied with the rods of material in succession. Material that is not used up in the further processing is returned from the saw to the removal station and is returned to the associated store compartment in reverse sequence to that described above.
The disadvantage of the two storage devices described is that they are each suitable for only one of the types of storage, that is to say either only for the storage of material in pallet boxes or only for the storage of loose material, and this is essentially a result of the differing designs of the load-lifting means. In addition, the crane bridges for handling loose rod material have the disadvantage that the said forked prongs are generally arranged to project only to one side, so that the shelf compartments also can be provided only on that side of the shelf aisles, which increases the amount of space required for the store. If it is desired to reduce such a space requirement, it is necessary for the crane bridge to have a more complicated construction using additional structural means, so that it can lift rod-shaped material on both sides.
To the same end it could be possible to combine in one crane bridge the load-lifting means both for pallet boxes and for loose rod material. However, this would result in an extremely complicated, expensive structure taking up a large amount of space which, in addition, would require the shelf aisles to be of considerable width for the vertical movement of the crane bridge, so that, comparatively speaking, storage room capacity would be used up permanently.
The advantages underlying the invention is, therefore, to supplement and develop a shelf service apparatus for self-supporting pallet boxes of the type mentioned at the beginning in a simple, space-saving and thus economical manner so that it is also suitable for lifting loose rod material, so that it is thus possible to construct stores that contain shelf compartments both for pallet boxes and for loose rod material. At the same time, the crane is so constructed that it can be used for shelves on both sides of the aisle or at any position in the storage pallet in which boxes or loose rod material are arranged in the shelf compartments.
Taking as a basis, a shelf service apparatus of the type mentioned at the beginning, this problem is solved according to the invention as follows: in the crane bridge, at least on one side close to the center position, a load cross-piece of the same length as the pallet boxes is removably arranged parallel to the pallet boxes. The load cross-piece has on its end faces supports, corresponding to those of the pallet boxes, for the carrying means, and that there are fixedly connected to the load cross-piece load-lifting means which project horizontally on one side in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom. In order to remove or store material resting directly on supporting arms of corresponding shelf compartments, the cross piece load-lifting means can be inserted between the supporting arms by movement of the carrying means.
The essence of the invention therefore lies in constructing at least one load cross-piece for loose rod material in the same manner as a pallet box as regards its coupling with the crane bridge, so that it can be lifted out of its rest position within the crane bridge and manipulated in the same manner as a pallet box, so that this manipulation, in the same manner as the manipulation of a pallet box, at the same time includes all the movements that are necessary to manipulate loose rod material.
The measures according to the invention thus have the effect that the shelf service apparatus, which per se is suitable only for self-supporting pallet boxes, can be used in an extremely simple manner also for manipulating loose rod material, it being possible for the structural design of the load cross-piece to be reduced to the most simple form and otherwise to be simplified or standardized as a result of the fact that it is possible to use supports that are the same as those attached to the pallet boxes.
In addition, the `stockpiling`, according to the invention, of the mentioned load cross-piece within the crane bridge does not require any additional space, since at its top the crane bridge must in any case be constructed in such a manner that it can lift a pallet box to be transported away from the shelves. In the horizontal direction also, the necessary space is in any case available next to the said center position as a result of the necessary size of the crane bridge.
The measures according to the invention therefore not only allow a shelf storage to be constructed in such a manner that it is possible to store simultaneously both rod material stored in pallet boxes and loose rod material, but it is also possible to have mixed forms within a single shelf, in order, for example, that, starting from the place for further processing of the material, the crane running distances, and thus the crane running times, for frequently used material are made as short as possible, whilst material that is processed less frequently can be stored at the most remote areas.
It is especially advantageous if the supports and carrying means are constructed to engage one another in positively-locking manner in the vertical direction and in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom. In this manner, it is possible for the load cross-piece and optionally also the pallet boxes to be indexed with respect to the carrying means to avoid possible slipping of the part being lifted by the carrying means while the crane is moving. The side indexing can be effected, for example, by the supports having projections that project downwards in the manner of a wedge and engage in corresponding recesses in the carrying means. Many other possible designs are, however, conceivable and could be used.
Furthermore, it can be particularly advantageous if at least one vertically, automatically electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically movable clamping device can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the storeroom and if the load cross-piece can be clamped against the carrying means by the clamping device. If the carrying means are assumed to be mounted, for example, on a horizontally movable carriage, then the carriage can at the same time have, at a suitable point above the carrying means, a vertically adjustable cylinder piston unit of which the movable part is placed in a clamping manner on the load cross-piece after the latter has been lifted by the lifting means. As a result, the above-mentioned positively-locking mutual engagement can also withstand high forces and can be of durable construction. Of course, the movement of this clamping device is also connected to the numerical control means mentioned at the beginning.
According to the invention it is in a simple manner, also possible and advantageous for load cross-pieces that are arranged in the crane bridge on both sides of the center position to have their load-lifting means pointing in opposite directions, so that loose rod-shaped material can be stored on both sides of a shelf aisle.
The further possibility arises here of constructing individual crane bridges differently in such a manner that their load-lifting means are designed for different regions of the material cross-section. Consequently, it is possible to achieve a further saving in space, since the shelf compartmets for material of relatively small cross-section need not be so high as the shelf compartments for thicker material, since, accordingly, the size of the particular load cross-piece is also matched to this height of the shelf compartments.
If it is desirable to make use of both the described possible designs of the load cross-pieces, that is to say to have both load-lifting means pointing in both directions and load-lifting means for material of different cross-sections, then it is advantageous for a further load cross-piece to be removably arranged above or below the mentioned load cross-pieces and for the load beams to be capable of being raised or lowered into the position corresponding to this load cross-piece.
As regards the load-lifting means of the load cross-pieces, these are advantageously constructed in the form of prongs, as is known in the prior art.
If, furthermore, the load lifting means are provided, in a manner known per se, with sensors, for example in the form of light barriers or the like, for the material, then it is advantageous according to the invention for the supports on the load cross-pieces and the carrying means to be assigned electrical contacts for connection of the sensors to the device for controlling the crane. In this manner, therefore, when a load cross-piece is lifted the sensors are automatically electrically connected via the carrying means to the crane control means or to a computer. The same naturally applies, for example, to pneumatic sensors, in that the corresponding pneumatic connections are then made for these connections.